Fire-alarm repeater



(No Model.)

- G. F. BALLOU.

Fire Alarm Repeater.

m0. 240,074. PatentedApril 12,1881.

LcccA Wvin e as e s UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE F. BALLOU, OF WALTHAM, MASSACHUSETTS.

FIRE-ALARM REPEATER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 240,074, dated April 12, 1881. Application filed January 7, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE F. BALLOU, of Waltham, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Fire-Alarm Repeaters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention is intended to be used where two or more fire-alarm or telegraph lines radiate from a central station, and has for its ob- I I0 ject the automatic repetition on all the other lines of any signal received on any one of the lines.

To this end the invention consists of the arrangement at the central station of a series of instruments corresponding in number to the several lines radiating from the station, each of which instruments has an electro-magnet placed in a line-circuit and an electro-magnet placed in a local circuit common to all the instruments, and is provided with electric connections, and has the armature-levers of each of the magnets constructed as hereinafter more fully described, so that when the line-circuit and local circuit of any instrument is broken the armature-lever of the line-circuit magnet of that instrument will hold the armature of the local magnet against said magnet and the line-circuit closed at the instrument, and the armature-levers of thelocal magnets in the other instruments will hold the armatures of the line-circuit magnets against said magnets and the local circuit closed at said instruments, and thus the local circuit will be broken only at the instrument from which the signal isrepeated.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure l is a side view, in elevation, of the instrument and its connections. Fig. 2 is an end view of the same, and Fig. 3 is'a diagram showing three similar instruments with their respective electrical connections as arranged at a central station.

In these several figures the same letters refer to the same parts.

The repeating-instrument is provided with two electro-magnets, A and B, properly supported upon a suitable plate. One of these magnets, A, is placed in a line-circuit, and the other magnet, B, is placed in the local circuit common to all the instruments.

G is the armature-lever of the magnet A, which lever is pivoted on a suitable standard, and is provided with aretracting-spring, which acts to draw it away from the magnet when the circuit is broken.

D is the armature-lever of the magnet B, which lever is also pivoted on a suitable standard, and is provided with a retracting-spring, but is placed substantially at right angles to the lever G. The end of the lever D is provided with a latch, E, and the two levers are arranged in such relation to each other that when the lever G is retracted its extremity will come under the latch E and hold the lever D against its magnet, as shown in instrument No. 1 in the diagram, and when the lever D is a retracted the latch E will fall over the extremity of the leverO and will hold it against its magnet, as shown in instruments 2 and 3 in the diagram.

The levers O are connected in the local circuit, and on each lever is a contact-point, a, which, when the lever is attracted, bears against a spring, b, and closes the local circuit, and the levers D are each connected in a line-circuit, and on each of the levers D is a contact-point, a, which bears against a spring, I), and when the lever is attracted closes the line-circuit. The contact-points a a are made to bear against springs, in order that the circuits shall not be broken until the armaturelevers partially complete their back strokes, each spring following and remaining in contact with its contact-point until the lever carrying such contact-point is moved far enough to insure the locking of the other lever before it is released by the breaking of the circuit.

' It will be seen by reference to the diagram that when the line-circuit of any instrument (say, for example, instrument No. 1) is broken at any point on the line for the purpose of sending a signal, the armature-lever of thelinecircuit magnet A will be retracted, and thus break the local circuit at the point a; but the extremity of the said armature-lever will also come under the latch E of the lever D, so that the said lever will be prevented from moving when the local circuit is broken, so as not to break the line-circuit at that point. In the other instruments the levers D will not be prevented from moving when the local circuit is broken, and consequently the line-circuit of each of these instruments will be broken and the signal received on instrument No. 1 will be repeated by the other instruments, and in each of these instruments the leverD will engage with the lever G, and the latch E will hold the said lever C, so as to prevent it from moving when the line-circuit is broken, and thus breaking the local circuit at the point a. It will thus be seen that the instrument which receives the signal controls the other instruments, and that the local circuit is broken but at one pointviz., at the instrument receiving the signal.

What Iclaim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, substantially as and for the purpose set forth, of two or more telegraphinstruments, each of which is provided with a magnetplaced in a line-circuit, and with a ma gnet placed in a local circuit comm on to its own set of local instruments, and with armaturelevers, contact-points, and electrical connections arranged and constructed as described, whereby the movement of the armature-lever of the line-circuit magnet caused by breaking the line-circuit of one instrument will break the local circuit at that instrument, but prevent the movement of the armature-lever of the local-circuit magnet of the said instrument, and the consequent breaking of the line-circuit at the said instrument and the movement of the armature-levers of the local-circuit magnets at the other instruments, caused by breaking the local circuit, will prevent the movement of the armature-levers of their line-magnets, and the consequent breaking of the local circuit except at the instrument receiving the signal. V

2. The combination, substantially as and for the purpose set forth, of the magnet A, placed in a line-circuit, the magnet 13, placed in a local circuit, and the levers O and D, the former forming part of the local circuit and the latter forming part of theline-circuit, and constructed and arranged as described,so that when either lever is retracted it prevents the retraction of the other lever and the consequent breaking of the circuit connected therewith.

3. The combination, substantially as and for the purpose set forth, of the magnets A and B, the levers O and D, the latter having the latch E, the electrical connections and points a a and b I), all arranged and operating substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification,in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 1st day of January, 1881.

GEORGE F. BALLOU.

W'itnesses:

V. GERALD, H. H. COOK. 

